Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Essay Example

One of the greatest composers that ever lived was Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Gottlieb Mozart. He was an intellectual and a genius not only in his era but his charisma is carried on even to the present generations who have been inspired by his works. Mozart worked primarily in the following genres such as Chamber music, Symphonies, Operas, Oratorios, liturgical compositions and Concertos that identified him not only as an affectionate person but also an austere moralist. Mozart’s Sonata 14 is one of the two sonatas that he had written in the minor key and this sonata is the one we are about to analyze in this essay. Autobiography of Mozart: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born on the 27th of January 1756 in the country of Salzburg, Austria. He was named after his grandfather and the Saint Johannes Chrysostomus. His father Leopold Mozart was not only an excellent violinist but also a composer and concert master of great repute. His mother was Anna Maria Pertl and he had a very talented sister named Maria Anna Mozart. (Nannerl) From the tender age of three, Mozart had such a keen ear for music and began learning the keyboard and by the age of five he started composing minuets. All through his teen years he dedicated himself to music and mastered the piano, violin and the harpsichord. By the year 1764, he had written his first three symphonies and by 1768, he completed his very first Opera titled “La Finta Simplice” which means “the Simple Pretense”. The Archbishop of Salzburg appointed him as concertmaster in 1772 during which time he composed several sacred works. He fell in love with Aloysia Constanze Weber and in 1782; he married her in Vienna’s St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Mozart worked in Vienna, supporting his family by teaching and composing and also by performing in both public and private. Mozart became composer of the “Imperial and Royal Chamber” and in 1787 one of his works titled “Don Giovanni” was premiered in Prague at the famous National Theater. By this time, while in Vienna, he was feeling quite sick while he completed another of his famous works titled “La clemenza di Tito”. Then on Dec. 5, 1791, Mozart breathed his last just a few minutes before 1AM. He had been ill for quite sometime and had died of rheumatic fever. Mozart’s Works: Mozart’s works can be categorized into three sections – Early -from 1761 – 1772, Middle – from 1772 – 1781 and the Late – from 1781 – 1791. The total number of his works was 600 in all which included 21 stage and opera works, 15 Masses, over 50 symphonies, 25 piano concertos, 12 violin concertos, 27 concert arias, 17 piano sonatas, 26 string quartets and many other pieces. Mozart’s Sonatas: Mozart contributed significantly to the sonata repertoire which included the violin and the piano. He wrote his first sonatas between the ages of six and eight and his last sonata was written in 1788 bringing the total to around thirty sonatas in all. His most mature and memorable sonatas were written during his time in Vienna. Mozart’s Piano Sonata No: 14. This sonata, written in C minor, K. 457 was composed in the year 1784 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and was published under the name of “Opus 11”, by a publishing company named “Artaria” in Vienna in December 1785. The title page was dedicated to one of Mozart’s pupils Thérèse von Trattner, whose husband was also a famous publisher and also happened to be Mozart’s landlord. This sonata was composed when Mozart worked as a freelancer during the ten years he spent in Vienna after leaving the patronage of the Archbishop of Salzburg in 1781. In ancient times, as opposed to the concertos and symphonies, the sonata style was resigned to the domestic circles. They were so designed so as to convey important ideas through a very secluded and intimate atmosphere. Sonata 14 – The Form and Structure Melody – The first movement is written in C minor and is basically constructed on a figuration and revolves around it throughout the composition.. It has two subjects in the exposition and falls in the typical Sonata form. The second movement is in typical Rondo from of ABACA. Its mood is tranquil and graceful and totally different from the first and the third movement. The third movement again has the dramatic elements of the first movement and is in the Sonata Rondo form. As against the development section of a Sonata, there is a brief section similar to an episode which proceeds to the recapitulation section. Here it states a modified second subject before stating the principal subject in the tonic key. A small suggestion is also made from the episode portion before the coda and ends with two chords that are dramatic in nature. Tempo: First Movement is in Molto Allegro meaning much faster. The second movement is in Adagio or Slow and the third movement is again Allegro Assai meaning – as if it were very fast. Rhythm: The rhythm in Mozart’s sonata 14, rises and falls like the ebbing and flowing of the tide. The rhythm in most places is light and peppy depicting an atmosphere of joy and happiness. In the second movement, the rhythm is tranquil and peaceful. In the third movement, the faster rhythm steps in on the lines of the first movement. Beat: The first movement starts with a definitive figuration followed by a complementing answer. Like his other works, this Sonata too has all the brilliance of the genius in terms of the catchy figurations, requiring good co-ordination between both the hands, the lucid developments complementing the primal figuration and intelligent and skilful articulation leading back to the recapitulation section. Texture: Mozart has his unique definitive way of constructing and developing the thematic structure through harmony, texture and sequences. His smooth spontaneity and flow cannot be compared with that of any other composer. In Correlation with Mozart’s music: Mozart’s music always has a personal touch where I am concerned. Whenever I listen to Mozart I can’t help but praise his genius. I am a music student and therefore I get captivated by his greatness and humbleness. When listening to Sonata 14, I am overpowered with both its simplicity as well as complexity. This piece makes me think of a garden full of the most colorful flowers swaying happily in the gentle breeze. Its mixed fragrance permeates through my being as I stand against the garden fence to admire its beauty. In the garden are three children who have come to feed the baby spotted deer that come to rest in the shade of a beautiful Cherry Blossom tree that is the centre piece of the beautiful garden. All of a sudden, the children start chasing the colorful butterflies that have so long been flitting carelessly from flower to flower. The deer get excited and join the children dancing and prancing in their fun and laughter. When all of them are tired, they retire to the shade of the sweet Cherry Blossom tree. By and by an old lady came by the garden. She pushes the gate with a wrinkled finger and stands lost and breathless in its beauty and wonderment. She smiles at the children who begin frolicking around her in glee. She watches them with a keen eye as they discuss how hungry they are. The old woman asks the children what they would do if they had the power to remove someone’s hunger. All the children answered that they would use that power to remove hunger from the face of the Earth. The old lady was very pleased to hear such a generous answer. She immediately asked them to close their eyes for a moment and she waved a magic wand over their heads. She then asked them to open their eyes and look above at the tree under which they sat. It seemed to the children as if they were in a dream! They saw chocolates and ice-cream of every kind hanging from the branches. They became mad with joy as they started scampering up the tree and enjoying themselves eating and feeding the little deer that were prancing around them. When she saw they had had their fill, she spoke to them asking them to always have a generous heart, then she waved them a sweet goodbye and she vanished into thin air. The little children ran around looking for the old lady but alas, she was no where to be found. They realized then, that she was actually a fairy in the guise of an old woman. No one can get away from the fact that Mozart was a genius beyond compare. In the words of Arthur Schnabel,(1882 – 1951) (Quoted in Shapiro, Encyclopedia of Quotations about music, 1978). “The Sonatas of Mozart are unique; they are too easy for children and too difficult for artists”. Mozart has indeed left every musician and listener with a rich legacy of music that will always be remembered for centuries to come. References: Mozart www.its.caltech.edu/~tan/Mozartreq/main.html Mozart/ A Cultural Biography: Books: Robert W. Gutman www.amazon.com/Mozart-Cultural-Biography-Robert-Gutman/dp/0156011719 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – 1756- 1791 www.karadar.com/Dictionary/mozart.html Piano Sonata Number 14/ Mozart www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No._14_(Mozart) Read More